All stable waste from the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events to be held in the territory will be converted into fertilizer.

To fulfill its promise of holding a green Olympics, the government has spent HK$37 million on the design and construction of the Animal Waste Composting Plant.

The plant, located in Ngau Tam Mei of Yuen Long, started operation in April 2008 and can treat up to 20 tons of stable waste every day.

"It has been running for two months, so we are confident that the plant can properly treat all stable waste during the equestrian events without any problem," said Ellen Chan, assistant director of the Environmental Protection Department.

The first batch of Olympic horses will arrive in the city Saturday and waste such as manure, bedding materials and horse feed from the Olympic stables will be transported to the plant daily.

"Participating countries will use their own types of bedding materials and the waste treatment will be a challenge to the plant," said Yu Shuk-man, senior project engineer of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. "We will optimize the plant continuously."

The plant adopts a rotary in-vessel composting technology to ensure effective elimination of harmful pathogens and minimize odor emissions.

The treatment, which consists of a series of processes, will convert stable waste into organic compost for landscaping, horticultural and agricultural uses.

The whole composting process takes about seven weeks, Chan said.

For every 20 tons of stable waste, 10 tons of organic products can be produced.

Those of high quality will be sold to organic farms and gardening companies.

The plant will handle stable waste from the Jockey Club after the Olympics. Chan added its scale of operation may be expanded in the future.

(HK Edition 07/26/2008 page1)